Pneumatic tires often desirably have indicial markings, such as trademarks or other markings. These indicia typically are formed directly into the rubber sidewall during the tire molding process. Thus, the indicia may be raised lettering or other shapes, and may be colored with white pigments or other colorants in the rubber compound.
It is sometimes desired to apply indicia directly to an already molded and cure tire, typically on the sidewall area. To do this, various coatings and paints have been used to form indicia. However, poor adhesion or durability of the coatings usually leads to unacceptable performance of this type of indicia.
It would, therefore, be desirable to have a tire with indicia applied to a cured tire sidewall surface, wherein the indicial coating material offers good adhesion and durability.